Oracle propose JDK8 Milestone and Release dates

The timeline has been mooted and Milestone 1 for JDK8 is just around the corner

Details have emerged on the
JDK8 mailing list, proposing the schedule for Java 8’s
milestones and final release date with January 30 earmarked as the
big day.

Oracle’s release manager for the JDK, Mathias Axelsson made the
following suggestions for development milestones leading up to a
feature-complete version at the beginning of next year:

M1: April 24, 2012

M2: June 14, 2012

M3: July 30, 2012

M4: September 11, 2012

M5: November 26, 2012

M6: January 30, 2013 (FC)

Although no specific details of each milestone were discussed,
it seems Oracle has already laid out a finely-tuned blueprint for
JDK8. Axelsson suggests that by January 30, all features and
new tests development would need to be completed ahead of the
road towards general availablity.

The proposed target release date is September 2013, so this
allows plenty of time to get every feature nailed down perfectly.
Axelsson adds further details of this:

In order to get from FC to the release date based on the above
dates I think we’ll need to raise the bar in steps during the
bug fixing phase of the release so that we stay focused on the
critical issues. I would like to recommend the following
approach.

General bug fixing from early February till early April
2013

In early April 2013 the bar is raised to only allow P1-P3 bugs
to be fixed

By mid-June 2013 the bar is raised even higher and only
showstopper bug fixes are considered

It’s good to see Oracle outline their scheduling stringently to
avoid issues from previous releases, as Axelsson notes by
mentioning the bugs in the final days of JDK7. JSRs need time to
bake and this is also accounted for.

The timeline isn’t set in stone yet, so if you have a problem
with Oracle’s thinking, don’t hesitate to contact Axelsson to air
your thoughts about the plans. There’s still time to change it.

We’re glad to see Oracle be open about the timeline way in
advance as the preparation for JDK8 begins. Only a week or so to
wait for the first glimpse of JDK8 – we can’t wait.